Your Party and why?
Abdel_Adrian
Member Posts: 430
Tell us about your choices of teammates, discuss various combinations for best teams, character opinions, criticisms, strategies, whatever you want.
I'll start. As of right now, this is what my party looks like:
Abdel (CHARNAME) Kensai- (to be dualled to mage at 13) currently dual wielding Varscona +2longsword+1cold and Ashideena +2warhammer+1electricity for loads of damage. Also grabbed the Constitution tome at level 1 so I get 15hp every level--I'll explain later how I did this if anyone is curious.
Dorn Il-Khan the Blackguard- decent powerhouse but no replacement to Minsc and I really wanted him, and Boo, on my team. But it doesn't seem like his 2H-er, Rancor, scales with his level and that's weak. Considering the most appealing feature of any paladin kit is the Holy Avenger Carsomyr +5/+6, and I doubt he would be able to use it, a blackguard doesn't seem to compare to the other kits. (I prefer Inquisitors)
Jaheira the Fighter/Druid- only healer class at the moment. I wanted her without Khalid and thought I'd be humane about that. Seeing as Khalid may or may not be killed sometime in the future, I thought I might as well petrify him for now. Instantly off my party and *dead* for all intents and purposes, but I could revive him at any time without Jaheira complaining. And she puts out so that's cool...
Imoen the Thief- You just gotta have Imoen, she's been like a... sister, to you. But really, she's a competent thief and will be dualled to mage at the standard time.
Neera the Wild Mage- I like the Wild Mage class a lot, the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. But if you're going to be a squishy cloth-wearing pansy the entire first game, 16 Con and 18 Int are MANDATORY for any serious mage. As evil as Edwin is, it's possible to have him get along with Misnc and Dynaheir and overall he is still the best mage in the game. And nothing against Nicola Elbro, she has a very lovely voice normally, but Neera is the only new NPC that I can't stand to hear talk.
and last but not least
Rasaad yn Bashir the Monk- I thoroughly like this character, personality, story, and acting all done well. The stats could be a bit better, but the gauntlets of dexterity can be put to good use on him and they're easy to get. I really want to see his banter with Viconia, although I'm sure after a handful of "Selune this" and "Shar that", someone would be dead.
Pros/Cons- A Kensai in BG1 is very hard to play, but with the right stats and gear, you can overcome their lack of armor, chalk the kit option up to pro. I'm enjoying Dorn right now but he's a mix of pros and cons, I already mentioned I miss my ranger and miniature giant space hamster duo, and he and Dynaheir would fit better in my good aligned party. I can tell you what mage would get kicked for her to fit *cough*Neera*cough*. Neera is all Cons so far, the stats are a major deal-breaker and she doesn't bring anything to the table to make up for that. Rasaad is powerful but just like the Kensai it is difficult to play without armor this early on.
P.S. If you're curious how I got the Tome of Constitution: while at lvl 1 I bought a stone to flesh scroll from a temple asap and rescued Branwyn at the carnival. With the help of an invisibility potion and the sanctuary spell, Branwyn was able to singlehandedly slip past dozens of sirens, some flesh golems, and traps all to fetch this book at the lighthouse. Then I kicked her hah.
P.P.S If I really get sick of the new NPCs, I may possibly drop Dorn and Neera, pick up Minsc and save Dynaheir (I purposely got the gauntlets and tome of charisma but didn't save her) and I guess I'd have to drop another, pick up Edwin, petrify Dynaheir right next to Khalid and now I have a good caster, a good ranger and hamster, and one party spot to bring someone back if I want. I'll save this for another day.
I'll start. As of right now, this is what my party looks like:
Abdel (CHARNAME) Kensai- (to be dualled to mage at 13) currently dual wielding Varscona +2longsword+1cold and Ashideena +2warhammer+1electricity for loads of damage. Also grabbed the Constitution tome at level 1 so I get 15hp every level--I'll explain later how I did this if anyone is curious.
Dorn Il-Khan the Blackguard- decent powerhouse but no replacement to Minsc and I really wanted him, and Boo, on my team. But it doesn't seem like his 2H-er, Rancor, scales with his level and that's weak. Considering the most appealing feature of any paladin kit is the Holy Avenger Carsomyr +5/+6, and I doubt he would be able to use it, a blackguard doesn't seem to compare to the other kits. (I prefer Inquisitors)
Jaheira the Fighter/Druid- only healer class at the moment. I wanted her without Khalid and thought I'd be humane about that. Seeing as Khalid may or may not be killed sometime in the future, I thought I might as well petrify him for now. Instantly off my party and *dead* for all intents and purposes, but I could revive him at any time without Jaheira complaining. And she puts out so that's cool...
Imoen the Thief- You just gotta have Imoen, she's been like a... sister, to you. But really, she's a competent thief and will be dualled to mage at the standard time.
Neera the Wild Mage- I like the Wild Mage class a lot, the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. But if you're going to be a squishy cloth-wearing pansy the entire first game, 16 Con and 18 Int are MANDATORY for any serious mage. As evil as Edwin is, it's possible to have him get along with Misnc and Dynaheir and overall he is still the best mage in the game. And nothing against Nicola Elbro, she has a very lovely voice normally, but Neera is the only new NPC that I can't stand to hear talk.
and last but not least
Rasaad yn Bashir the Monk- I thoroughly like this character, personality, story, and acting all done well. The stats could be a bit better, but the gauntlets of dexterity can be put to good use on him and they're easy to get. I really want to see his banter with Viconia, although I'm sure after a handful of "Selune this" and "Shar that", someone would be dead.
Pros/Cons- A Kensai in BG1 is very hard to play, but with the right stats and gear, you can overcome their lack of armor, chalk the kit option up to pro. I'm enjoying Dorn right now but he's a mix of pros and cons, I already mentioned I miss my ranger and miniature giant space hamster duo, and he and Dynaheir would fit better in my good aligned party. I can tell you what mage would get kicked for her to fit *cough*Neera*cough*. Neera is all Cons so far, the stats are a major deal-breaker and she doesn't bring anything to the table to make up for that. Rasaad is powerful but just like the Kensai it is difficult to play without armor this early on.
P.S. If you're curious how I got the Tome of Constitution: while at lvl 1 I bought a stone to flesh scroll from a temple asap and rescued Branwyn at the carnival. With the help of an invisibility potion and the sanctuary spell, Branwyn was able to singlehandedly slip past dozens of sirens, some flesh golems, and traps all to fetch this book at the lighthouse. Then I kicked her hah.
P.P.S If I really get sick of the new NPCs, I may possibly drop Dorn and Neera, pick up Minsc and save Dynaheir (I purposely got the gauntlets and tome of charisma but didn't save her) and I guess I'd have to drop another, pick up Edwin, petrify Dynaheir right next to Khalid and now I have a good caster, a good ranger and hamster, and one party spot to bring someone back if I want. I'll save this for another day.
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Comments
So...who do you take with you on the journey along the Sword Coast?
And why?
Do you stick with the canon chars like Imoen, Jaheira and Minsc or do you disregard BG2 for now and invite whoever you want because you're an evil hamster-hating Overlord...?
Do you try the new characters?
Ajantis is in my party always. My cleric is usually Branwen, but I may try to grab Yeslick this time. I am going to grab Kivan, which I did the first time I played the game.
I think the rest of my party will be all new. I'm going to try Neera for my mage and Coran for my thief.
But, yeah. Always Ajantis. I want a quest in BG2:EE to bring him back.
Personally, I find minsc much, much more entertaining in BG2. In BG1 he's closer to a sociopath.
SPOILER:
If you happen to decline his offer to rescue Dynaheir, he tries to kill you.
So my team will be comprised of:
Selendis (CHARNAME), a Neutral Evil elf sorcerer.
Dorn il-Khan the Blackguard: The muscle, and Selendis' love interest.
Kagain the Fighter: The other muscle. Looking forward to BG2:EE, I expect I'll fill this slot on the team with Korgan, followed by Sarevok in ToB.
Safana the Thief: I wanted to go with Imoen as the token Good party member (especially since I'm hoping Ascension will eventually be adapted to the EE), but thinking ahead again, it's likely BG2:EE will dual-class Imoen to mage whether I like it or not. There's been talk of a new evil female thief that will be introduced in BG2:EE, so she'll take Safana's place.
Viconia the Cleric: I always liked Viconia - Branwen's a distant second when it comes to pure Clerics.
Neera the Wild Mage: Fittingly, Neera's the wild card here; I've never used Wild Mages so I'm not entirely sure what to expect. I'm curious to see how her storyline plays out, but if her disadvantages end up trumping her advantages, I'll bring Edwin in to replace her.
Edmund Blackadder (PC) - Blackguard #1 (Neutral Evil, obsessed with wealth and power) - TANK
Dorn - Blackguard #2 - OFF-TANK
Monty - OFF, off...tank = P / thief.
Vicky - Healer
Edmund - Nuker #1
Xzar - Nuker #2 (Whom I originally wanted to dual class to a cleric, but apparently can't now? Or do I need to spend a tome on him to do it?)
Thorgraine, Cavalier,
Minsc, because he's Minsc.
Boo, comes with Minsc
Imoen, best thief.
Jaheira, healer, to be switched with Yeslick for a change.
Neera, just to see what's she's all about.
Rasaad, same as Neera, though I doubt I'll pick him next time.
Khalid foolishly wanted to face the assassin after Nashkel mines alone, and met his demise. Dynaheir wandered off at the Gnoll Fortress and got gibbed. Sometimes to get the party you want, one has to resort to... extreme measures.
1. Mateo the human monk
2. Imoen
3/4. Xzar/Montaron
5/6. Jaheira/Khalid
When I first traveled south from the Friendly Arms, X/M and J/K went at it, leaving none but Khalid alive. Before I could think to stop myself, I loaded the quick-save.
EDIT: Apparently I drew the line at Imoen dying. At least this time I dragged her carcass to a temple and paid 100g for a raise. Hey, I've spent the last 14 years abusing Power Word: Reload to avoid death in the game. It's going to take me a bit!
thaddaeus - bard, chaotic neutral, ranged most of time with shortswords when needed
kagain - tank, first into battle
safana - thief, for interaction with coran
coran - 2nd into battle if needed, interaction with safana
xan - never played with
neera - romance, hopefully interesting banter with coran and/or safana
never played my pc as a bard before (usually a thief), i've not played with any of the above original npcs and thought the combo of safana/coran and neera would make for interesting banter. not sure about xan tho. wanted to give him a go but might end up replacing with viconia when i reach her.
im thinking of making my PC a blade, still not sure. was hoping to get the harper scout kit mod installed, but seemed to break my install. going to roleplay this as much as possible.
thoughts on this line up?
Kagain with his 20 Con & regeneration makes a decent tank, better with gauntlets of Dex.
Safana is a weaker Imoen in EVERY aspect so I've never played her, even for the banter, so idk.
Coran with his 20 Dex and 3 prof points in bow is a great sniper, I'm sure npc interactions are nice.
Xan is god-awful. They buffed up his Moonblade, but a melee weapon on a mage is like shoes for a fish. His pessimism is unbearable and there's better mages anyway, but he isn't the absolute worst npc.
Neera...I just hate her honestly. I doubt there will be much or any interaction with her and original npcs but let me know if I'm wrong. Have been turning down romance with her because...ew. Playing an enhanced game, the enhancements including kits and new npcs, you play with no kits and the assumed bg1 to bg2 group that was captured by Irenicus. Terribly boring indeed, but purism at its finest.
Kivan - ranged power. I always used the NPC Kit Mod to make him an Archer, which is what I use him as. Still good with a bow as a Ranger though, with more survivability in exchange for a little offensive power decrease. Sticking lots of pointy sharp things in the enemy from outwith their range = good. That's obvious, and his stats make him good at it.
Ajantis - I tried him as an Inquisitor but that kit isn't as useful in BG1, certainly early on when you have no use for things like Dispel Magic (in BG2, Keldorn is a godly character as an Inquisitor). As a Paladin, he's my main tank. Frontline damage with a magic two-handed sword, as long as he has the Gauntlets of Dexterity he's brilliant (without them, he can't tank effectively).
Imoen - My thief and ranged support character. Typically she uses a magic short bow, but can use a long sword for melee if absolutely needed. I could never play without a thief, but I have no interest in being one myself. Useful character, even if a bit squishy.
Now normally I use Minsc and Dynaheir here; Minsc is another damage-dealing tank, and Dynaheir my support mage. I'm trying out Rasaad and Neira though, since I might as well try the new content and I hate Dynaheir's class. I'll see how they work out.
Baltsaros - Chaotic Evil Human Fighter. I do the tankinz.
Xzar - Chaotic Evil Human Necromancer. He does the pew pewinz.
Dorn - Neutral Evil Half-Orc Blackguard. He does the offtankinz.
Imoen - Neutral Good Human Thief. She does the thiefinz.
Edwin - Lawful Evil Human Conjurer. He does the crowd controllinz.
Viconia - Neutral Evil Drow Cleric. She does the healinz.
Doin' pretty well so far. My PC and Dorn pretty much tear everything to pieces. Xzar and Edwin are just getting to the point now where they can dish out some havoc.
edit: (SCRL17)
I'm getting prepared for some petrification..
Not looking for a powerful party. Just one that will be interesting to play and experience new characters.
I've also thought about using Branwen.
Theme Song: "The Shadows Betray You" from the Dark Knight Rises. I like to think that I say that when I backstab the various bounty hunters trying to kill me in this game. Why Assassin class.....because I'm a bad man and poison is awesome vs mages even this early in the game. Why CN alignment? Because while my party and I are pretty evil, I still end up getting a lot of reputation for helping people. I like to think my assassin is making the world a better place one murder at a time.
Imoen, shes like your kid sister and even more so your BFF. She my party leader because of her high charisma until I get Dorn.
Kagain - Give him gauntlets of dexterity and hes the best tank in the game. Plus, its cool having a Dwarf with an Axe in the game.
Viconia - Everyones favorite Cleric. Nightsinger, give me power.
Neera - Wild mages are funny and another Chaotic Neutral is perfect for me.
Dorn - picked up last since I do some quests before going to the mines. Still, hes better than Minsc with STR 19 AND not an idiot.
Latter -
Coran will replace Imoen as my dedicated thief. Sorry BFF but hes just a better backstabber than you. And the only think better than an superman Assassin backstab is having a partner to backstab with you. I will just need to buff Coran strength. Outside of backstabs his 20 DEX is amazing with bows (and once I get a manual of DEX, I too will have 20 DEX)
Imoen, uses a shortbow, just makes sense, best all around theif in the game, and continuity wise it makes snese because she is in the second balders gate, and I dont like the other plain theifs, Alora is useless, Eldoths girlfriend is really annoying, as is eldoth, Montaron doesnt fit into my good aligned party, Safana is fine, but Imoen is superior to her in most categorys, and I am mad at her for what she does in the second game. The only other thief i like is coran, and speaking of Coran....
Coran, deadly with a bow, interesting character, good thief skills
Minsc, A must must for a good aligned party, great warrior, has some funny banter, and makes sense continuity wise
Yeslick, had never used him before and wanted to try him out, his skills are all good, though he is a bit annoying, but I am now stuck with him because all the other good aligned healers, have all had "accidents" I accidentally killed jaheria, and then she was dropped while dead to make space for Brawen who drowned in cloakwood mine because i forgot I left her to pick up Yeslick, and then flodded the mine, oops, so yeslick it is. Give him a hammer and shield along with the gauntlets of strength and he is very useful in battle.
Neera, i really like Neera, she is an entertaining character. All the other mages annoy me to much in this game, Quayle is arrogant, Xan is just flat out depressing, and Dynahier annoys me as well, Dyanhier had to get eaten by gnolls accidentally so I could keep minsc but not be forced to keep Dynahier
I tried out Rasaad but I didnt like him as a character, and Monks are really hard to use at low levels, he would just keep dying on me so I finally just droped his corpse
I have a question though, has anyone here ever used Tiax, besides the humor he brings he has got to be the worst NPC of all time, all the gnomes or halfling characters in this game are just especially awful, why cant they all be like Jan, who is actually one of the better characters in BG 2
Khalid - he can master swords, why no love?!
Jaheria - could they make her less of a hag?!
Imoen - always
and this is what I'm rolling with thus far...was on my way to get Kivan for my 5th and final player, when I met Neera and died. She seemed annoying? I'd like to try a new RPG, but I don't know which one?
Woldeth (true neutral Wild Mage)
Neera (because there's only one thing better than a Wild Mage)
Viconia (I had just saved one damsel in distress and i didn't want people to think i was racist. I am an equal opportunity damsel saver)
Rasaad (he's gonna punch dragons to chunks in a few years)
Coran ( I've never used him and my party is super soft so a slightly tougher thief was in order. I don't want to use Imoen as I don't need a third mage and he's way better with a bow. Also he's good so he kept balance in that regard)
Dorn Il-Khan (If I'm only gonna have one sword in my party, it may as well be swung by the biggest dude in the game)
CHARNAME - Cavalier
Dorn (might change him or Rasaad to Minsc, haven't decided yet)
Rasaad
Neera (might change to Edwin if I don't like her)
Imoen (will change to Coran later)
Viconia
This is the master plan, but I'm pretty dynamic about it. One thing is for sure, I'm not gonna play with an "all-good" party again. My last play through a couple of years ago was with a bunch of goodies, and it wasn't that fun. One thing cannot be changed though, I'm gonna play a paladin yet again. I just love paladins although, I don't play as a typical "getting rid of all evil" sort of role playing paladin.
Vissious, the half-orc kensai: No intentions to dual or multi or whatever with a kensai for this playthrough, so I rolled up monster stats and intend to run my main into the middle of battle and see what explodes first. So far, it hasn't been me (much). Honestly, people who dual-class out of kensai are missing some fun
Kivan - I picked him up late so his HP is awful, which is bad because I wanted him as my second tank when needs required it, but otherwise he's a solid choice and is murderous at both range and melee.
Branwen - Why no love dor Branwen? Vicci is over-rated in my book, I'll take Wisdom 16 (for an end-game potential of 19) and the ability to wear plate over indiscriminate magic resistence any day. Also, she conflicts with no-one and that spiritual hammer is handy until you grab the lighting hammer in the mid-game. She's my main tank, having the best AC and specced for missile defence to boot.
Imoen - Kept as pure thief, although I'm dreading having her dualed to mage in BG2; I want her maxed out in skills and dropping traps when she's not blitzing mages with crossbow bolts.
Neera - Like her. Those moments when she surges badly are vastly outweighed by her extra spell slots, solid stats and decent little side-quest. I'm waiting patiently for that second prof. point to make an appearance so I can giver her a sling and keep her out of harms way, but for now she's good enough at putting stuff to sleep or causing magic-induced terror for easy crown-control.
Empty slot - I haven't even done the Mines yet, so I'm toying with an extra member but I'm not sure who. I always liked Xan, and the party probably needs a second, more dependable (if less spectacular) caster. Always resented him for not letting me have his moonblade, though
Jaheira & Khalid - good fighters, continuity to BG2
Imoen - storyline, continuity to BG2, Dual to Mage at Thief level 3
To try something new: Neera and Rasaad
Definitely not a "power party" but will be fine, and it's fun to experience some new content. Nice that the party can be built quickly.